Committee hears broadband update: BEAD allocations, local awards and technology concerns County staff and Supervisor Robinson briefed the committee on federal BEAD/BEED funding, mapped provider awards in Marathon County (7,788 locations), and raised concerns about technology choices, costs, and workforce needs as deployments proceed.

Marathon County is set to transform its internet landscape with $696.6 million in federal funding, but will the technology choices lead to higher costs for residents?

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#MarathonCounty #WI #WorkforceEducation #MarathonCountyBroadband #CitizenPortal #DigitalInclusion

County update: BEAD award changes favor Starlink/SpaceX in parts of Marathon County; task force recommended for discontinuation Supervisor Robinson reported federal changes to BEAD award criteria shifted many Marathon County locations from proposed fiber or fixed wireless to SpaceX/Starlink, removing affordability and net-neutrality preferences and prompting a recommendation to discontinue the county broadband task force because major policy and funding decisions will be at

Major shifts in federal broadband funding mean SpaceX/Starlink is taking the spotlight in Marathon County, leaving local providers in the dust and prompting calls to disband the county's task force.

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#MarathonCounty #WI #MarathonCountyBroadband #CitizenPortal #DigitalInclusion